THF Ballplayer Showcase

Featuring LMU's Jason Gill and a panel of Head Coaches from the top collegiate programs in the US

THF Ballplayer Showcases were designed to identify high school “Ballplayers,” not prospects, who possess the complete package necessary to compete at the collegiate level. These ballplayers are the ones that ALL college coaches want on their rosters. They possess the requisite elite athleticism coupled with the character, work ethic, and mental toughness necessary to compete at a higher level and contribute to a winning team.

THF Ballplayer Showcase is very different from other showcases. We have assembled an Advisory Panel of top NCAA Head Coaches who will instruct, coach, and educate the athletes throughout every event, including an instructional combine and multiple highly competitive games, managed entirely by our NCAA Head Coaches.

We are in the business of filtering the large population of elite players, in search of the world’s best ballplayers. Some of these athletes will be the regular standouts, but many of them will be undiscovered outliers – true BALLPLAYERS, who just need the right platform to be recognized.

The Hit Factory is blessed to have known the LEGEND Augie Garrido at a very intimate level. His passion for the game, his imperial knowledge, and his incredible ability to connect baseball with the game of life will be forever missed. We are beyond upset to see him go, but know that his presence will always be with us on the field now and forever. Thank you AUGIE for your friendship and commitment to the game we all love so much.

BALLPLAYER:

“At The Hit Factory, we’re teaching people how to be ballplayers. We’re looking for ballplayers. That kid can be 5’8, but when he comes out of the game, he’s got a snotty nose, he’s got torn up knees in his uniform, his elbows are bloody, he has left everything about his heart and his soul, he has given that to his team, for the entire game. That’s a ballplayer.”

“In the sporting world, the professionally packaged prospect may have the perfect combination of height, speed, and strength, but too often the batteries – heart and soul – are not included… I am no longer in the prospecting business. I’m all about creating players who are well-rounded and deeply rooted human beings.”

— Augie Garrido

Showcase Overview

WHAT SETS US APART

EXPERTISE:
We are the only showcase featuring LMU’s Jason Gill and his hand-selected Advisory Panel of NCAA Head Coaches.

CREDIBILITY:
All scouting is completed by our NCAA Head Coach Advisory Panel, providing the ultimate screening process – an elite pool of potential collegiate ballplayers assessed by the nation’s top college coaches through a hands-on, intensive camp.

FOCUS ON BALLPLAYERS, NOT PROSPECTS:
We understand that the true measure of potential at the collegiate level extends its focus beyond mere athleticism and includes crucial intangibles such as character, work ethic, leadership, commitment to the team and the ability to be fully engaged through every stage of the process.

DIRECT INTERACTION WITH TOP NCAA HEAD COACHES:
Athletes will be assigned to a team that is managed by an NCAA Head Coach from start to finish, and will enjoy unprecedented, 1-on-1 interaction with the entire NCAA Head Coach Advisory Panel throughout the entire event.

FORMAT

The 2018 THF BALLPLAYER SHOWCASE Series will host an elite showcase in Southern California with some of the most talented young players in the game – A maximum of 48 athletes will participate. Per NCAA rules, this showcase is open to any and all entrants and enrollment is only limited based on age, grade level, and/or number restrictions.

2019-2022 Grad Years

Cal Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA

August 11, 2018

Book your spot now as space is limited!

Current/Upcoming Showcases

Ballplayer Showcase – Thousand Oaks, California

August 11, 2018

The THF Ballplayer Showcase, hosted at Cal Lutheran University, features HEAD COACHES from LMU, USD, and UCSD. They will provide on-field instruction during drills and combine testing, coach athletes in the dugout through two non-modified competitive games, and lead them through informational seminars about the recruitment process and what it takes to transform a prospect into a “ballplayer.”
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The THF Ballplayer Showcase series was designed in collaboration with coaching legend Augie Garrido and the top NCAA coaches in the nation with the aim of revolutionizing the industry and changing the way that athletes are assessed and developed. We are the only showcase designed and run by a panel of NCAA Head Coaches, and we are the only showcase that champions the development of deeply-rooted, well rounded athletes whose character and work ethic make just as much of a statement as their athleticism.

We define a ballplayer as a student athlete who possesses elite athleticism coupled with the character, heart, work ethic and mental toughness necessary to compete and succeed at the collegiate level. Our evaluation criteria differs from that of typical showcases. We use the classic strength measurements and athletic ability metrics as a baseline for identifying talent, but will then take the process one step further by also evaluating a player’s intangibles including, but not limited to: mindset, drive, ability to cope with failures during a game, leadership, body language, selflessness and commitment to the success of the team as a whole.

Every THF Ballplayer Showcase will begin with a speech by Coach Gill, Coach Hill, and Coach Newman, followed by an intensive instructional combine that will include infield, outfield, batting, 60 yard dash and metrics testing. Athletes will be divided into equal teams, each coached by an NCAA Head Coach from the Advisory Panel, and will play a minimum of 2 competitive, tournament-style games. Athletes will participate in intermittent clinical sessions and informal talks with the coaches when not playing games.

To registration, visit the THF Ballplayer Showcase website and click the register now link. You will be prompted to filled out our Online Player Registration Form and then click “Submit.” The same registration form can be used to register for more than one THF Ballplayer Showcase by simply clicking each desired location/date at the top of the form. Spots for each THF Ballplayer Showcase will be filled on a rolling basis according to availability at each defensive position.

Per NCAA rules, this showcase is open to any and all entrants and enrollment is only limited based on age, grade level, and/or number restrictions.

Team assignments will be announced at registration on the morning of the Showcase.

Team formation is a joint process conducted by the NCAA Head Coach Advisory Panel and THF staff. Rules will be in place to ensure that the teams ultimately formed are equal and have specific numbers of position players at each defensive position. Athletes may not request to be on a particular NCAA Coach’s team, but you will have unlimited access to every coach throughout the showcase. Athletes are highly encouraged to take initiative to introduce themselves and form relationships with every NCAA Coach on the Advisory Panel.

Participating athletes will not receive written evaluations. At THF, we believe that the most constructive, beneficial use of the Advisory Panel’s time is for them to be on the field directly interacting with the athletes, getting to know them on a personal level, and devoting their full attention to observing the athletes as they compete. Time does not allow for them to complete meaningful written evaluations our participants.

One of the most valuable aspects of the THF Ballplayer Showcase are the pre-camp speeches where the NCAA Advisory Coaches will offer insight into the most effective ways to communicate with prospective college coaches and explain the importance of choosing the program that is right for each specific ballplayer. This session will end with an open Q&A where athletes and parents are highly encouraged to interact with the coaches and ask them questions.

There may also be times throughout the showcase when the NCAA Coaches are available to speak to parents informally on the sidelines of the showcase. However, we ask parents to refrain from approaching the coaches while they are working with the athletes on the field.

No. To get the maximum value from participating in the THF Ballplayer Showcase, we believe that athletes should be focused and engaged throughout the entirety of the event, so we do not carve out time for individual video sessions at this time.

The THF Ballplayer Showcase will take place rain or shine. We will do everything in our power to work through the showcase agenda in its entirety, including delayed starts and extended hours. In the event that weather causes severe disruption to the schedule, we will move indoors for seminars and workshops and may have to shorten clinic hours or game times, but we will re-organize in a way that maximizes each athlete’s instructional and competitive time in front of the coaches. Regardless of weather-related delays, there will be no make-up days and there will be no refunds or credits given for shortened schedules or missed playing time.